The programme has a specific focus on the construction industry with pilot programmes carried out in partnership with property owners and developers. Public entities can take a significant role in nurturing circular economy initiatives within the construction industry. In such a situation, networking becomes a crucial task. A public entity is well placed to bring different stakeholders together. The city serves as an impartial entity, dedicated to fostering cooperation and mutual learning through pilot programmes rather than attempting to sell anything. This is at least the view of the City of Helsinki, where the reuse of construction sector demolition materials is currently a matter being tackled in their circular economy cluster programme, with experiments and pilot programmes being conducted.
The city welcomes all entities, researchers, universities and businesses of any size, wanting to make a concrete contribution to the circular economy to join the programmes. “Our strengths are our own procurement and operations. We have the opportunity to influence the promotion of the circular economy in land allocations and zoning processes,” says the City of Helsinki project manager, Mira Jarkko.
It is possible to set criteria for land sales to reduce CO2 emissions from building materials and promote recycled products, for example. It is also possible to set conditions for earthworks, for example, regarding the use of recycled materials or recycled aggregates. The city is piloting circular economy zoning regulations, such as mandating the production of renewable energy. The city has taken a broader approach to its zoning regulations, incorporating energy matters, stormwater management, and including green spaces.
The entire city will serve as a testing site
Helsinki identifies itself as a city-sized testing platform where companies and product development actors work together with the city to experiment with and innovate products and services. The construction sector receives special attention when it comes to developing the circular economy. Fresh circular economy solutions will be tested soon. The city has sought products and services that encourage the reuse of building components or materials through an innovation challenge.
The innovation challenge attracted a diverse group of companies, including startups and publicly traded Finnish and foreign companies. Only the most promising pilot proposals were selected to proceed:
- A method for safely removing tiles attached with adhesive without damaging them (Kiilto Family).
- Combining a digital circular economy platform with practical building expertise for building component reuse (ZupplySite and Spolia Design).
- A platform service that supports users in selecting sustainable building and surface materials (Materialisting).
- A process for reusing acoustic panels (SaintGobain Ecophon).
- AI-powered design software (Studio MPRA Architects and Make a BIM).
The circular economy cluster continues collaboration with the selected companies. The challenges are specifically related to the development project in Vattuniemi, Lauttasaari, where they actively seek methods to promote a circular economy through demolition and material circulation. The aim is for entities other than the City of Helsinki to use the solutions developed in the pilots. Generating new circular economy-based businesses in construction is another important goal. Property owners and developers work together to carry out the pilots.
What kind of expertise does reuse require?
Helsinki is about to launch another exciting innovation challenge, in collaboration with the KIRA growth programme, featuring pilot projects. The programme is updating expertise and operational models in the industry, accelerating experiments, development projects, and export initiatives. The goal of the innovation challenge is to emphasise the perspective of property owners and developers and to examine their requirements for implementing a circular economy in the construction sector. This involves identifying the knowledge or services needed to reuse building materials and what criteria should be taken into account in procurement.
A concept for a storage building for outdoor sports facilities in Helsinki was sought through a recent design competition in collaboration with the Department of Architecture at Aalto University. The storage building should be built using building components and materials from the city’s own demolition sites. The goal was to find a replicable solution to replace shipping containers used for temporary storage. They are not large enough to store the machinery and equipment needed at sports facilities. The competition-winning entry, Lippa, received praise from the jury for its flexible use of material flows.
Additionally, it stands the test of time and functions reliably in a range of environments. The construction of the first storage facility will commence soon. The circular economy cluster programme has existed for nearly three years, and it has become clear that the collaboration between public entities and businesses is fruitful. “The circular economy becoming ‘business as usual’ in the construction industry still has a long way to go.”, reminds Jarkko.
First published in the "Finland – local solutions are born here" handbook by Helsinki-Uusimaa Circular Valley
